Operating mechanism for train-pipe valves.



J. M. TOWNE 6 E. E. ALLBEE. OPERATING mscmmsm FOB TRAIN PIPE VALVES.-APPLIOATION IILED JULY 3. 1908.

91 5,907. I Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

' WITNESSES: IIVVENTOI? UNITED sTAT s PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH M. TOWNE, OF EAST ORANGE, AND ELMEE ALLBEE,"OE ARLINGTON, NEWJERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO SAFETY OAR HEATING & LIGHTING OOMPANY, ACORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 23,1909.

Application filed July 3, 1908. Serial No. 441,760.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH M. TOwNE and ELMER E. ALLBEE, citizens ofthe United States, residing at East Orange and Arlington, in thecounties of Essex and Hudson and State of New Jersey, respectively, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Operating Mechanism forTrain Pipe Valves, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescripton, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to valve operating mechanism and moreparticularly to mech anism for operating valves adapted for use upontrain pipes of railway cars or similar structures. 7

One of the objects of the invention is to provide new and improvedmechanism for opening or closing a train pipe valve such that it may bemanipulated from a position either above or below the platform of thecar.

Another object thereof is to provide auto matically locking means forthe valve operating mechanism which may be conveniently manipulated tofree the Operating mechanism rom its locked condition.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed outhereinafter.

The lnvention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope ofthe application of which will be indicated in the following claims. 7

In the accompanying drawings, wherein is illustrated one of the variouspossible embodiments of our invention, Figure 1 is an end elevation of aportion of a railway car showing the same; Fig. 2 is asectional viewtaken transversely through a portion of the platform of the car showingthe locking means for the valve operating mechanism.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in both views of thedrawing.

Referring now to the drawing, 1 indicates the platform of a railway'car,beneath which extends a train pipe of usual construction, a portion ofwhich is shown at 2. The valve, shown at 3, is mounted upon the end ofthe train pipe and is supported beneath the platform of the car by meansof a flange 4, which is secured as by means of bolts 5 to a strap 6,which, in turn, is secured to the sill of the railway car. Valve 3 maybe of any desired character. In the present instance, however, saidvalve is of the type shown, described and claimed in the application ofElmer E. Allbee, filed April 16, 1908, Serial No. 427 ,319.

Extending from the stem 7 of the valve is an arm 8 to which is pivotallyconnected a link 10, the opposite end of said link being connected withone leg of a bell crank lever 11 pivotally mounted at 12 and in a hanger13 supported beneath the latform of the car. The other leg of the bellcrank lever 11 is provided with a pin which extends through a slot in acollar 14 mounted upon an operating rod 15. This rod extends u wardthrough the plaform of the car. 001 ar 14 is held against endwisemovement along rod 15 by means of collars 16 and 17 fixed upon the rod,the lowermost of which is provided with a handle 18.

Rod 15, 'which is slidable upward and downward in platform 1, is heldagainst rotation by means of a boss 20, provided on a floor plate 21which is secured to the upper surface of the platform of the car, saidboss entering a recess formed in the rod. A handle 22is provided uponthe upper end of rod 15 by means of which the same may be lifted. Rod 15is held in the position shown in full lines of the drawings by means ofa gravity operated locking member or trigger 23 which is weighted at itsforward end,

whereby when said rod is lifted it will fall into engagement with anotch 24 provided in the rod. Trigger 23 is provided with a tail piece25 by meansof which it may be manipulated from a position beneath theplatform of the car to disengage the samefrom the rod. Trigger 23 mayalso be disengaged from said rod from a position above the platform ofthe car by means of a footpiece 26 connected therewith at 27 andextending upwardly through the platform.

Having thus described the construction of this embodiment of ourinvention, the operation thereof is substantially as follows: When thevalve is opened the operating mechanism is in the position indicated bythe dotted lines. When rod 15 is slid upwar by the handle 22 to theposition shown by the full lines, the valve is closed, trigger 23automatically locking the same, "ashas been described. To open the valveit is-only necessary to press the foot-piece downward, therebydisengaging the trigger from the rod, whereby the rod is free to movedownward. When it is desired to open the valve from a position beneaththe platform of the car, it is only necessary to press on the end 25 oftrigger 23 to throw the latter out of looking position in the samemanner as when operated from above the platform.

It will accordingly be seen that we have provided mechanism well adaptedto attain, among others, all the ends and objects above enumerated. Theoperating mechanism is automatically locked when the valve is closed andthis mechanism, as well as the locking means, may be convenientlyoperated from a position either above or below the platform of the car.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It isalso to be understood that the language used in the following claims isintended to cover all of the generic ano specific features of theinvention herein described and all statements of the scope of theinvention which, as a matter of language, might be said to falltherebetwcen.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a railway car or similar structure, the combination with thetrainpipe, of a valve mounted thereon, link and lever mechanism connectedwith the stem of said valve, a rod connected with said link and levermechanism and extending upwardly through the platform of the car, saidrod when raised, through said link and lever mechanism, being adapted toclose said valve, and means for locking said rod in a raised position.

2. In a railway car or similar structure, the combination with a trainpipe, of a valve mounted thereon, a rod extending upwardly through theplatform of the car, link and lever mechanism connecting said rod withthe stem of said valve, whereby when said rod is raised said valve willbe closed, and means for automatically locking said rod in a raisedposition.

3. In a railway car or similar structure, the combination with the trainpipe, of a valve mounted thereon, a rod extending up wardly through theplatform of the car, link and lever mechanism connecting said rod withthe stem of said valve, whereby when said rod is raised said valve willbe closed, and a gravity operated device for locking said rod in itsraised position.

4. In a railway car or similar structure, the combination with the trainpi e, of a valve mounted thereon, a rod extending upwardly through theplatform of the car, a bell crank lever pivotally connected with saidrod, an arm extending from the stem of said valve, a link connectingsaid bell crank lever with said arm, handles mounted upon said rod aboveand below the platform of the car, whereby the same may be raised,thereby through its connection with said valve, closing the same, and apivotally mounted, gravity operating device for locking said rod in itsraised position.

5. In a railway car or similar structure, the combination with the trainpipe, of a valve mounted thereon, an arm, extending from the stem ofsaid valve, a link connected with said arm, a pivotally supported hellcrank lever having one leg connected with said link, an operating rodextending upwardly through the platform of the car, a pivotal connectionbetween said rod and the other leg of said bell crank lever, handlesmounted upon said rod above or below the platform of the car, and apivotally mounted, gravity operated. member adapted automatically tolock said rod when the same is raised to operate said valve, said.locking member being adapted to be moved to an unlocking position from aposition either above or below the )latform of the car.

6. In a rai way car or similar structure, the combination with the trainpipe, of a valve mounted thereon, an arm extending from the stem of saidvalve, a link pivotally connected with said arm, a pivotally mountedbell crank lever having one leg thereof connected with said link, areciprocating rod extending upwardly through the platform of the car,said rod being provided with handles at its upper and lower ends,whereby the same may be reciprocated from a position either above orbelow the platform of the car, and a gravity operated locking memberadapted automatically to lock said. rod when the same is moved to anupward position, and means extending upwardly through the platform ofthe car for disengaging said locking member from said rod.

7. In a railway car or similar structure, the combination with the trainpipe, of a valve mounted thereon, an arm extending from the stem of saidvalve, a link connected with said arm, an operating rod extendingupwardly through the platform of the var, said operating rod beingadapted to reciprocate with respect to said platform, means for holdingsaid rod against rotation, a bell crank lever connecting said link withsaid rod whereby when said rod is lifted said valve will be closed,handles mounted upon said rod at its upper and lower ends whereby thesame may be operated from positions above and below said platform, apivotally mounted, gravity operated member cooperating with said rod andadapted automatically to lock the same in its lifted position, meansaccessible from a position beneath the platform for disengaging saidlocking member from said rod, and means extending downwardly through theplatform and connected with said locking member adapted 'when actuatedto disengage said locking member from said rod.

8. In a railway car or similar structure the combination with the trainpipe, of a valve mounted thereon, link and lever mechanism connectedwith the stem of said valve, a rod connected with said link and levermechanism and extending upwardly through the floor of the car, said rodwhen moved 20 endwise being adapted to operate said valve, and means forlocking said rod when the same has been moved endwise.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures, in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOSEPH M. TOWNE. ELMER E. ALLBEE. lVitnesses:

C. H. WrLooX, H. M. SEAMANS.

